Modern Thanksgiving Table 2016

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I'm usually up late the night before baking pies with my husband and then up early Thanksgiving morning making side dishes, before finally putting the turkey in the oven. Even though I'm wiped out from baking / prepping / cooking, I love it!  In our home, Thanksgiving is a small affair. We usually have family & friends over; we watch movies, play a few board games and then eat way too much. 

Even though our Thanksgivings are intimate, I love setting a pretty table for my family. Every day we keep it pretty casual over here, that's one reason why I love the Holidays, they give me the chance to set a pretty table. I'm huge on using what I already have plus mixing in some new goodies. Below is my Thanksgiving table for 2016. As most of you know, I love mixing in Modern Elements with Classic ones. 

We have a vintage oval dining room table that can make using a runner somewhat tricky and a tablecloth just feels too formal. I created a natural table runner using eucalyptus branches. The look is so pretty and it smells incredible. In the center of the table, I used three candle holders and placed LED Candles inside. I've never used LED candles before, and I gotta say they're fantastic! They flicker & glow just like real candles and you can even use them on a timer. The seeded candle holders are from Crate & Barrel, here's a similar style here.  I also mixed in real tea lights on the table.

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Instead of one large floral centerpiece, I wanted to spread the love on the table and used two small vases to hold roses and filler flowers. I just love using my “go-to cylinder vase” for arrangements, read more about why I love this vase style here

I love white dishes.  My favorite white dishes are the Coupe everyday dishes from Target, they look instantly dressed up with napkins. I used turquoise buffet napkins and placed a bowl on top, inside the bowls I placed eucalyptus. I love adding a natural element inside the bowls to add color and texture. Don't have any eucalyptus around? You can easily place leaves, branches, herbs or mini pumpkins or place cards inside the bowls. 

My favorite desserts to make for Thanksgiving are Sweet Potato Pie and Pumpkin Pie, I have a to-die-for Sweet Potato Pie recipe that I'll share next week. If you've never made Sweet Potato Pie or even had it,  it’s a #GameChanger and you'll quickly be hooked. 

Did you catch a glimpse of my pretty silverware on my table? I've been wanting to buy new flatware for a long time, like over a year. The current set we have is nice, but we're missing spoons, forks and knives! I've been on the hunt for modern sleek silverware, that isn’t a budget buster that we can use every day and it will still look good and is dishwasher safe. I found the perfect set at Macy's from Towle Living the Luxor 42 piece set for $100 bucks, but I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. Then last week, I saw the a Luxor 20 piece set on Amazon for only $35.00 and quickly bought two sets, two for less than the 42 piece set. Plus, my shipping was free! 

My new silverware set arrived a few days ago and I'm obsessed, the flatware has a nice weight to it and bonus, its dishwasher safe, never needs to be polished and is so elegant! I've went a little silverware crazy this month, I'll share more goodies for your holiday (and year round) tables on Thursday. 

One last look at my Thanksgiving table for this year! I'm so looking forward to gathering around the table with my family and sharing what we're thankful for. Since moving back into our home after re-building it from the fire, every Holiday celebration feels more meaningful and I love making memories

What type of Thanksgiving Dinner do you celebrate, super casual? Formal? And the biggest question what time do you sit down for dinner? I don't like eating Thanksgiving dinner until 5pm or later! Growing up, we had dinner at 1pm which I hated! 

Our Christmas Entry

We kept the outside of our home decorated simply for Christmas. We

hung fresh garland over our front door and use outdoor 3M Hooks which work like a charm (we actually keep them up year round, but don't tell anyone) I also added simple string lights to the garland, it looks so pretty at night. I took these photos just before the sun was setting hoping to share how it looks. I love how pretty our Christmas Wreath trio looks on our front door with the fresh garland, see more Christmas Wreath trio ideas

here

We also hung a 

Moravian Star

 above our entry, its so pretty at night! It took me about 10-15 mins to put the star together, its made for indoor / outdoor use. The only issue I had with the star is the light bulb, we had to replace the one it came with, but other than that its so pretty and I look forward to hanging year after year! In the hanging planter next to our front door, I placed a small wreath on top, adds the perfect amount of Christmas cheer.

One of these days, I hope be a person that goes all out with lights everywhere!! I'm already dreaming up ideas for the outside next year, if I can find some good after Christmas Sales!